Nyanta & Pomeko

Chapter 5: The air is invisible to adults

–I'm perfectly calm. I feel nothing in my heart. ...... No, wait, forget it. Yes, think about the rest of the novel. A new character, a dog beastman, is just starting to appear. ......, a dog ......, does that mean Pomeranian? Don't be stupid, don't think that way. Calm down, it's not decided yet that it's Pomeko.

　When I glanced at Shinozuka-san, I saw that the wrinkles between her eyebrows had become even worse.

　She was muttering something in a small voice.

"......Nya......nta."

　My hand went crazy and I dropped the textbook on the desk to the floor.

　–Nyanta is my pen name.

　My heart beat faster. When was the last time I was in such a panic?　It's different from when I was betrayed. A strange sweat started to break out.

　I picked up my textbook and took a deep breath.

　–It's okay. Shinozuka-san and I are not even friends. We don't have anything to do with each other. Forget about this incident and let it go.......

　The door of the entrance rattled open and the teacher came into the classroom.

"Good morning, I'm going to start Homeroom"

　Yes, it's no big deal. Even if she was a reader, Shinozuka-san would never get involved with me.

　I don't make friends. There is no one in the world I can trust.

　......The relief of seeing the message made me feel vulnerable.

　Yes, erasing the message would give me peace of mind and make me stronger.

　...... Not now. I can't take out my phone because the teacher is here. I'll delete the messages later.

　I felt like I was telling myself a boring lie.

　I knew that I didn't really want to delete the message.

---

The day went by fast today. It was over in the blink of an eye.

　Now it's time for HR. The teacher was explaining about the upcoming events.

　I want to go home early today. ......

　I'm tired from all the trouble I had to go through in the morning. But now Miyazaki won't talk to me anymore. –Are you okay?　I'm getting a little anxious ....... Miyazaki is not quite as good as my stepsister, but she is a natural. ...... Okay, let's change our minds.

　In the end, I couldn't delete Pomeko's message.

　When I held the phone in my hand to erase it, I felt bad.

　–So I decided not to erase it, just because it made me feel bad. Once I made that decision, I felt relief. The bad feeling went away.

　...... Well, I guess this is as good as it gets.

　Shinozuka-san, sitting next to me, glared at the blackboard.

　She looks like a delinquent. It is very intimidating. The tone of voice in the morning also sounded scary.

　She must be distancing herself from people by making them afraid of her.

　Intimidation and strong enmity.

　Just like my fake smiles, random responses, and cautious behavior.

　I shook my head lightly. I shouldn't think about Shinozuka-san any more.

　It's better if I don't get involved.

　The teacher told us in HR that there will be a field trip after the midterm exam.